Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Big Brown's Preakness

Big Brown dominated another field on Saturday on the second step towards winning the Triple Crown. I'm not all that wound up about this, because in the past seven years of attending Belmont, I've seen three horses get to the exact same spot (War Emblem, Funny Cide, and Smarty Jones), and seen all three go down in the mile and a half "Test of Champions." Still, it's exciting, and couldn't come at a better time for a sport that has been under harsh scrutiny since the Derby. The hype machine that goes along with this each time is already rolling.

While there's no way in hell I'd missing seeing a horse capture the Crown at my home track, these "possible" years at Belmont are a pain in the ass, with the attendance going from a full and fun 60,000 people who are actually semi-into horse racing, to a sloppy and packed scrum of 120,000 yahoos. I am also not a fan of Big Brown's trainer, nor do I think that Big Brown has beat much in the way of quality competition, in a pretty weak crop for three-year olds.

BUT....Bitching aside, his win on Saturday was impressive, with Kent Desormeaux easily finding an extra gear of acceleration on the far turn without even using a whip. The horse didn't even seem to breathe hard -- he was just out on a little run, having a good old time. It was a very dominating performance to see.

I am anxious to see his match up with the much-touted Casino Drive in the Belmont in 2 1/2 weeks. I love Casino Drive's family, so it's gonna be fun to watch it play out. Nice clip here about Big Brown's partial owner, a regular guy who's trucking business is based in....Greenpoint, Brooklyn. (Who've ever thought you could meet a Derby owner near the poop factory?)